AOTW: Esther Satterfield - The Need To Be (SP-3411)

[Captain Bacardi]

Esther Satterfield
THE NEED TO BE
A&M SP-3411

Released 1976

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/8-Track

Produced by Chuck Mangione

Songs:

• 1. The Need To Be (J. Weatherly) - 4:31
  2. If You Know Me Any Longer Than Tomorrow (C. Mangione) - 5:00
  3. He's Gone (C. Mangione/B. McGrath) - 5:03
  4. Bird Of Beauty (S. Wonder) - 2:48
  5. Sarah (B. Ighner) - 4:28
  6. You Must Believe In Spring (M. Legrand/A. & M. Bergman) - 3:20
  7. Chase The Clouds Away (C. Mangione) - 4:13
  8. Long Hard Climb (R. Davies) - 4:09
  9. New World Comin' (B. Mann/C. Weil) - 3:23

Musicians:
Esther Satterfield - Vocals
Don Potter - Guitar
Gerry Niewood - Woodwinds and Percussion
Joe LaBarbera - Drums and Percussion
Chip Jackson - Electric Bass
Chuck Mangione - Conductor, Acoustic and Electric Pianos
Peter Wofford - Guitar (6)
Gerald Vinci - Concert Master
Kai Winding - Orchestra Personnel Coordinator

Orchestrations and Arrangements by Chuck Mangione

Recorded at Manta Sound Studios, Toronto, Canada and A&M Studios, Hollywood, California
Engineer: Mick Guzauski
Assistant Engineers: Gary Gray (Manta Sounds), Ellis Sorkin (A&M Studios)
Mastered at MasterDisk, New York by Mick Guzauski and Bob Ludwig

Personal Manager: Tom Iannaccone
Art Direction: Roland Young
Album Design: Chuck Beeson
Liner notes by Esther Satterfield


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Much more spacious than Ms. Satterfield's previous effort and Chuck Mangione still produces...

Vikki Carr and Gladys Knight & The Pips gave us the best known reeindition of the Jim Weatherly-written (and also recorded) "The Need To Be" and Esther starts us off with a distinctive reeindition of it, as well...

Stevie Wonder's "Bird Of Beauty" (Yes, Getting High off those red, white, yellow and purple pills!) is a good, energetic closer of Side 1... :goofygrin:

Bernard Ighner--known for "Everything Must Change" is the composer of "Sarah", a similar ballad, also beautifully done...

And when we did Ron Davies' U.F.O., as Album Of The Week, I forgot to mention his "Long Hard Climb", in addition to seeing versions done by Helen Reddy & Maria Muldaur, had also been sung by Esther Satterfield, as well...

The writing team of Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman, who gave us "Windmills Of Your Mind" also wrote the equally-good, and very somber, "You Must Believe In Spring", which Esther's pipes are also well-suited for...

"New World Comin'", penned by the Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil duo, is an uplifting, album finisher... Equally on a par with their "Sometimes When We Touch", recorded by Dan Hill...

And what could this be without songs Chuck Mangione, here as arranger, conductor, producer and pianist (Sorry, NO fügelhorn, here!) did and would later do as instrumentals...?: "If You Know Me Any Longer Than Tomorrow", which would later go on an album called, Mainsqueeze and "Chase The Clouds Away", you heard on his similar-titled album, before this, and "He's Gone", originally done (or maybe LATER done) as "SHE'S Gone", by Bat McGrath, a Jazz Guitarist/Vocalist that Chuck would also produce and arrange an album, or two for..

Good, second effort, and a lot of branching-out for Ms. Satterfield, under the capable and guiding arm of Chuck and encouraged a similar effort by Letta M'bulu, entitled Music In The Air, as well as the works of Brenda Russell and many other Soul/Lite Jazz Female Vocalists on A&M...


Dave

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is an interesting album, and almost symbolic as to what some singers were doing in the '70's. Here Satterfield tackles songs that weren't well known at all, with the slight exception of "Chase The Clouds Away". None of the typical standards or cheesy pop song arrangements. For that Esther Satterfield is to be commended. On the other hand, I really never cared a lot for this recording. By today's standards is kind of a dated sound. By the time she gets to the "Up With People"-ish "New World Comin'" I'm ready to drag out my black-ploitation movies. I bought this album after I had Chuck Mangione's Main Squeeze album for a while, and Mangione's version of "If You KNow Me Any Longer Than Tomorrow" is just superb, so the vocals on this arrangement don't offer a lot, although Gerry Niewood contributes a very nice flute solo. I also couldn't help but notice a familiar strain on the first verse of "The Need To Be", where the string section did a bit of what would become "Consuelo's Love Theme" (from Mangione's Children Of Sanchez album). This isn't a great album, but different enough to make in interesting. 3 stars from me.



Capt. Bacardi